This thesis explored the complexity of how men choose leisure activities. I examined the interplay between participant’s perceived benefits of indoor plants, perceptions of masculinities, and self-efficacy in men’s decisions to grow interior plants.
This exploration was facilitated through the administration of a questionnaire that included two interval level scales and four open ended questions. The participants’ responses to the scale items were examined for correlations and used to perform a regression analysis. The responses to the open ended questions were analyzed using conceptual ordering matrixes to establish themes.
I learned that the participating men did perceive benefits from interior plants. Their perceived self-efficacy with plants did influence their decision to grow interior plants. Participants’ responses also indicated that perceptions of masculinity did not affect their choices to grow interior plants.
Two interesting findings of this research were that there was no all-encompassing view of masculinity among the participants. Rather, there were multiple and complex masculinities perceived by the participants. I also found that positive interest in plants as a form of leisure activity was the greatest contributor to whether or not participating men grew interior plants.